Black-and-white colobus

Black-and-white colobi
Mantled Guereza (Colobus guereza)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family: Cercopithecidae Subfamily: Colobinae Genus: Colobus Illiger, 1811
Type species
Simia polycomos Schreber, 1800 (= Cebus polykomos Zimmermann, 1780)
Species
Colobus satanas Colobus angolensis Colobus polykomos Colobus vellerosus Colobus guereza

Black-and-white colobus (plural colobuses or colobi) is the common name for any of the medium-sized, arboreal, Old World monkeys comprising the genus Colobus of the Colobinae subfamily, characterized by a slender body, long tail, absent or rudimentary thumbs, prominent rump callosities, and a complex stomach that aids digestion of cellulose. The name colobus also is used as a collective term for members of this genus; however, there also are red colobi that comprise the genus Piliocolobus, and the olive colobus is the sole extant member of the genus Procolobus. There are five extant species in the Colobus genus. They are found in Africa, typically in tropical rainforests.

arboreal plants etc.

Overview and description

Black-and-white colobi comprise one of several genera in the subfamily Colobinae of the Cercopithecidae family (Old World monkeys). Members of this subfamily are distinguished from the other Old World monkey family Cercopithecinae (baboons, macaques, mangabeys, drill, mandrills, etc.) by the absence of cheek pouches and the presence of prominent ischial (rump) callosities, which are contiguous in males and separate in females (Kim 2002). Other members of the Colobinae subfamily are the leaf monkeys, proboscis monkeys, langurs, and other relatives. As Old World monkeys, colobi are characterized by close-set nostrils that are downward or forward facing, a tubular ear bone, and a tail that is not prehensile (adapted for grasping or holding).

Black-and-white colobi are medium-sized monkeys with slender bodies and long tails. All five extant species in Colobus are characterized by a reduced or absent thumb, prominent ischial callosities (a callus, or piece of skin that has become thickened as a result of repeated contact and friction, occurring on the animal's buttocks), and a complex stomach that enables them to digest mature or toxic vegetation, aiding in the digestion of cellulose (Thompson 2002).

The word "colobus" comes from Greek ekolobóse, meaning "he cut short" or "mutilated," and is so named because its thumb is essentially absent or is a stump that is represented only by a small phalangeal tubercle that may at times bear a nail (Kim 2002). This lack of a thumb may aid their moving quickly through the trees (Kim 2002).

The black-and-white colobus monkeys are closely related to the red colobus monkeys of genus Piliocolobus and the olive colobus of the genus Procolobus. The red colobus monkeys were formerly placed together with the olive colobus in Procolobus, but this genus is now limited to the olive colobus (Groves 2005).

Species

There are five species of this monkey, with at least eight subspecies:

• Genus Colobus
  • Black Colobus, Colobus satanas
    • Gabon Black Colobus, Colobus satanas anthracinus
    • Bioko Black Colobus, Colobus satanas satanas
  • Angola Colobus, Colobus angolensis
    • Colobus angolensis angolensis
    • Colobus angolensis cottoni
    • Adolf Friedrich's Angola Colobus or Ruwenzori Black-and-white Colobus, Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii
    • Colobus angolensis cordieri
    • Prigogine's Angola Colobus, Colobus angolensis prigoginei
    • Peter's Angolan Colobus or Tanzanian Black-and-white Colobus, Colobus angolensis palliatus
  • King Colobus, Colobus polykomos
  • Ursine Colobus, Colobus vellerosus
  • Mantled Guereza, Colobus guereza

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=572829 Colobus Illiger, 1811 Taxonomic Serial No.: 572829

Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2008. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed February 13, 2009 at http://animaldiversity.org. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/classification/Colobus.html#Colobus

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Colobus_angolensis.html Thompson, B. 2002. "Colobus angolensis" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed February 13, 2009 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Colobus_angolensis.html. Colobus angolensis Angolan colobus

• Kim, K. 2002. Colobus guereza. Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved February 13, 2009.

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Colobus_polykomos.html Landes, D. 2000. "Colobus polykomos" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed February 13, 2009 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Colobus_polykomos.html. Colobus polykomos king colobus

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Colobus_satanas.html Colobus satanas black colobus Blair, D. 2002. "Colobus satanas" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed February 13, 2009 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Colobus_satanas.html.

Groves, C. (2005-11-16). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds). ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 167-168. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3.

External links

Wikispecies has information related to:

Colobus

• Colobus Monkey: Wildlife summary from the African Wildlife Foundation
• Primate Info Net Colobus Factsheets

Template:C.Colobinae nav

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